MCM - Cry Me A River from the 2023 self-released Stolen Moments EP. MCM (aka Mid Century Modern) is a brand new Seattle-based duo featuring long-running emcee, producer, and community organizer King Khazm and singer/songwriter Jesse Kogita. In February, they released their debut EP Stolen Moments . The three-song EP sees the duo reimagine classic jazz standards by building a collage of samples, boom bap, bebop, and hip hop. On our Song of the Day, Ella Fitzgerald’s classic “Cry Me a River,” addi...
Apr 28, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4479
URF Tone - Zan Zendegi Azadi (Women Life Freedom) a 2023 self-released single. URF Tone is a duo made up of producer (as well as model, actor, and avid golfer) Nicholas Demps, aka The World Famous N.I.C, and MC Ila Parvaz. Together they seek to pay tribute to the golden era of Hip Hop, with inspirational lyricism and jazzy production. Emerging in 2020, the duo have released a string of singles, with a full-length titled All That Glitters due out in 2023 which features contributions from Camp Lo,...
Apr 27, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4478
Chyle - DAY (feat. B SELF) from the 2023 album Majestic Constellations on Cosmic Aliens Entertainment On his latest LP, Majestic Constellations , Chyle MC (pronounced Child Emcee) invites listeners on a voyage influenced by classic Parliament-Funkadelic, who he cites as his "muse." Though based in Atlanta, Georgia, Chyle MC has ties to Seattle, working with longtime friend and producer Vitamin D, and on today's Song of the Day, bringing in Vitamin's Ghetto Children bandmate B-Self for guest voca...
Apr 26, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4477
Pure Akan - "Yete Apor (feat. Efya)" a 2023 single on A-Level Music. Ghanaian highlife/hip-hop artist Pure Akan stays true to his roots by rapping in Twi, a dialect of the Akan language. "It created a connection between me and my people, the Akan people and also our culture," he told Pan African Music . "My fans relate better. They understand me now." His new single sees him pairing up with another Ghana-based songwriter, neo-soul artist Efya, whose voice elevates the beauty of today's Song of t...
Apr 25, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4476
Alsarah - "Farasha فراشة (feat. Sufyvn & Flippter)" a 2023 single on Alsarah Productions On today's Song of the Day, Sudanese songstress Alsarah celebrates femininity. The song title "Farasha" translates to "butterfly" in Arabic, and in a press statement, she says the track honors the "spirit of resistance, resiliency, and perseverance" of Sudanese women. The featured song was co-produced with Sufyvn and features guest rapper, Flippter . In the background, you'll hear field recordings Alsara...
Apr 24, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4475
Acid Tongue - Consumerism a 2023 self-released single. It’s been two years since Seattle garage rockers Acid Tongue released their third full-length Arboretum , which came about as frontman Guy Keltner came to terms with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as his struggles with his bipolar diagnosis, during the pandemic. Keltner and co-frontman Ian Cunningham detailed the making of the record as well as their personal experiences on Sound & Vision in 2021. Our Song of the Day is the latest relea...
Apr 21, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4474
Daníel Hjálmtýsson - No Reception (feat. Aðalbjörn Tryggvason) from the 2022 self-released album Labyrinthia . While Daníel Hjálmtýsson’s recorded work only dates back to 2020, he’s made quite a splash in the past few years, perking the ears of his fellow Icelanders as well as a particular Seattleite - Kevin Cole. He recently caught their performance at Tremor Festival which is set at secret locations around São Miguel island in the Azores and has been said by some to be the “world’s weirdest mu...
Apr 20, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4473
Tramhaus - "Make It Happen," a 2022 single on Subroutine Records. Post-punk quintet Tramhaus provide a sneering statement on their hometown of Rotterdam, Netherlands on today's Song of the Day. The phrase "make it happen" serves as the city's official slogan — "a phrase which coincidentally functions as the absurd and out-of-touch city-slogan of Rotterdam," they state on Facebook . The accompanying music video was filmed in the Wielewaal neighborhood, and the residents who are set to be evicted....
Apr 19, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4472
Verde Prato - "Niña Soñando" from the 2023 album Adoretua on Plan B Rec. Recording under the name Verde Prato , Colombian artist Ana Arsuaga sings in Basque, honoring the traditions of the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Her haunting neo-folk synth-pop songs call to mind artists like Kate Bush or Tirzah . Via her Bandcamp page, she explains today's Song of the Day reflects on "the questions that arise for a girl, questions that a girl asks of the world, of life, of otherness, of love, to innoc...
Apr 18, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4471
Lucrecia Dalt - "Contenida" from the 2022 album ¡Ay! on RVNG Intl. On her eighth and latest LP ¡Ay! , Colombian-born, Berlin-based artist Lucrecia Dalt celebrates both her homeland and outer space. Infusing childhood influences of bolero, mambo, merengue, and salsa into her synth-heavy soundscapes, she tells the story of Preta, an extraterrestrial being who lands on Earth. The ten-track album examines themes of love, time, and on today's Song of the Day, existence. "A falling progression, vocals...
Apr 17, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4470
Jarv Dee & Bad Colours - Beat Drop a 2023 single on MOOR LIFE. Jarv Dee has been one of the leading rap luminaries of the Seattle scene for the past decade, churning out numerous bops and anthems. Since the beginning, one of his secret weapons has been production from London-born, Maryland-raised, Brooklyn-based DJ, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Ibe Solima, aka Bad Colours . Solima has worked with some big names including Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Keyshia Cole, and Faith E...
Apr 14, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4469
Es - Swallowed Whole from the 2023 Fantasy EP on Upset The Rhythm. London-based quartet Es burst onto the scene back in 2020 with their debut LP Less of Everything , made up of nine tracks of ominous and icy post-punk exploring the tension between intent and interpretation. Three years later, they’re back with the Fantasy EP. For their new release, they’ve bumped the tempo up but haven’t lost an ounce of sneer. Our Song of the Day “Swallowed Whole” is frantic and twitchy, with taut syncopated rh...
Apr 13, 2023•2 min•Ep. 4468
System Olympia - "Falling in Love" from the 2023 album New Erotica Collection on Okay Nature Over the past few years, London-based producer, DJ, and vocalist System Olympia (real name: Francesca Macri) has been releasing a series of sultry stand-along singles, including today's Song of the Day, featuring guest vocals from South London artist P Nut . Earlier this year, she compiled nine of these tracks into the LP New Erotica Collection , With an album title like that, you won't be surprised that...
Apr 12, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4467
Say She She - "Reeling" a 2023 single on Colemine/Karma Chief. It's a tongue-twister, but Brooklyn trio Say She She named their group as a tribute to none other than Nile Rodgers ("C’est chi-chi!: It's Chic!,” they explain on their Bandcamp). They also carry his torch with their self-described "discodelic soul," sure to get you out on the dance floor. On today's Song of the Day, band members Nya Gazelle Brown, Sabrina Cunningham, and Piya Malik deliver an "incantation from Mother Earth to the ma...
Apr 11, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4466
Outside - "Then It Hits You," a 2023 single on Dorado Records Limited. "I’ve evolved the mixture of modern and retro," says multi-instrumentalist, writer, and arranger Matt Cooper. "That’s the Outside sound." Cooper began Outside during the '90s London club scene, releasing his 1993 debut album Almost In at the age of 20. Now, 30 years later, he returns with a forthcoming sixth studio album, Almost Out . The album was recording during lockdown from his home studio in west London, and in a press ...
Apr 10, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4465
Rose City Band - “Chasing Rainbows” from the 2023 album Garden Party on Thrill Jockey. Rose City Band , the brainchild of Ripley Johnson (also of Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo and, with a name like that, was either born to play music or be the keeper of facts that you may, or may not, believe) is due to release their fourth record later this month. Titled Garden Party , the album follows up 2021’s Earth Trip and is said to be, “A celebration of summer and all it brings: communal gatherings, the res...
Apr 07, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4464
Tanukichan - “Thin Air (feat. Enumclaw)” from the 2023 album GIZMO on Company Records. Last month, San Francisco-based artist Hannah Van Loon, known better as Tanukichan , released her incredible sophomore record GIZMO which widened the depth of the shoegaze-indebted dreampop that she’s been making since 2016. Co-produced by Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bear, who’s been assisting Van Loon since her debut EP Radiolove, GIZMO is a massively textured record that deserves repeat listens. One of the highlights ...
Apr 06, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4463
Momma – “Bang Bang,” a 2023 single on Polyvinyl. With their latest single "Bang Bang," Brooklyn-based trio Momma set out to write something provocative. “We wanted to write something lyrically different than anything else we’d done," explained band member Allegra Weingarten, "just super literal and crude." Today's Song of the Day came out of a COVID bubble between Weingarten and her bandmate Etta Friedman. "We decided to isolate, get drunk, and write together,” Friedman said in a press release. ...
Apr 05, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4462
Indigo De Souza- “Younger and Dumber” from the 2023 album All of This Will End on Saddle Creek On today's Song of the Day, Asheville, NC-based artist Indigo De Souza reflects on the insecurities of her youth. The track serves as a sneak peek to her forthcoming full-length, All Of This Will End , which will be released April 28th via Saddle Creek. In a press statement, she shares: “Younger and Dumber” is a flood beam of my emotional and spiritual human experience. My growing up defeated by a worl...
Apr 04, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4461
Ven Y Mira - “Padre Nostro” from the 2023 self-released album Parque de Letras . With today's Song of the Day, Mexico-based quartet Ven y Mira shares a sneak peek at their forthcoming debut full-length, Parque de Letras , due for release on April 28th. Expanding on the psych-inspired sounds we heard on last year's EP, Nota Roja , the group takes a harder, punk-influenced approach on today's featured track, crafting a cacophony of fierce percussion punctuated by impassioned vocals. Read the full ...
Apr 03, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4460
Who Is She? - My My Orca Card a 2023 single on Father/Daughter. Seattle supergroup Who Is She? , made up of Bree McKenna of Tacocat, Robin Edwards AKA Lisa Prank, and Chastity Belt frontwoman Julia Shapiro, have been making sweetly sardonic music since 2017, when they released their debut record Seattle Gossip . After a few years of silence from the trio, the band went from Who Is She? to Where Are They? (Admittedly, busy with their other bands.) But they came back in a big way when they were in...
Mar 31, 2023•2 min•Ep. 4459
TV Star - In-Between from the 2023 album Hallucinate Me on Painter Man. Seattle’s TV Star make desert-tinged neo-psych with nods to The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Formed in 2020, the five-piece features members of Shine, Regional Justice Center, and Advertisement and unveiled their debut EP in February, Hallucinate Me . Our Song of the Day is the rambling “In-Between,” the dreamy guitar-led early single off the record. Ashlyn Nagel’s crystalline vocals cry out with ca...
Mar 30, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4458
DEBBY FRIDAY - "SO HARD TO TELL" from the 2023 album GOOD LUCK on Sub Pop Nigerian-born, Toronto-based artist DEBBY FRIDAY needed some convincing before designating today's Song of the Day as the lead single from her debut album, GOOD LUCK , released just last week via Sub Pop Records. "Every single person that I would play the album to was like, 'This song, this song, this song, this song — this one has to be the first single!'" she told Exclaim! . It's a surprisingly softer side than we saw on...
Mar 29, 2023•3 min•Ep. 4457
Model/Actriz - Crossing Guard from the 2023 album Dogsbody on True Panther Brooklyn-based band Model/Actriz taps into Greek mythology on today's Song of the Day. The titular "Crossing Guard" is the figure Charon, the ferryman of the dead who transported the ghosts of the dead across the rivers Styx. As the post-punk band explained to Paper Mag , the accompanying music video, directed by Nathan Castiel, captures vocalist/lyricist Cole Haden conveying "the body's fragility and gradual degradation ...
Mar 28, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4456
Caution - "To Decide" a 2022 single on Hardly Art. Last year, local label Hardly Art Records celebrated its 15th anniversary by releasing 15 new singles from some of their favorite artists. They closed out the series back in December with this release from the duo Caution . Songwriters Cash Langdon and Nora Button formed the pairing in 2019, after departing the DC-based power-pop group Saturday Night. With Langdon relocating to Alabama and Button in Minnesota, they collaborated by sending files ...
Mar 27, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4455
Kassa Overall - John Coltrane (Clifford Jordan Quartet) (feat. Tomoki Sanders & Vitamin D) from the 2023 self-released album Shades 3 . The ever-talented jazz musician, emcee, singer, producer and drummer Kassa Overall dropped the latest addition to his Shades mixtape series, Shades 3 , in February as a sample-heavy remix project that fuses jazz with modern danceable drum machine rhythms in a gonzo approach to the jazz tradition. The Seattle-raised, Brooklyn-based artist has been blowing min...
Mar 24, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4454
Mic Flont & Khingz - Gucci (feat. Larisa Marie, AbJo) from the 2023 album Premium Smoke on OTOW. Earlier this year, Seattle emcees Mic Flont and Khingz teamed up to drop the collaborative LP Premium Smoke via Operation Take Over the World (OTOW), a Seattle-based independent record label and multimedia collective. Our Song of the Day sees local musicians ABJO and Larisa Marie jump to provide production and vocals, respectively. It’s a downtempo slow-burner about feeling “Gucci/ Feelin good” a...
Mar 23, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4453
rum.gold - "Water My Heart (feat. Mereba)" from the 2023 album U Street Anthology on Leola LLC. Brooklyn-based artist rum.gold has been on a creative run since his 2018 debut EP yaRN . He followed with 2019's EP aiMless and the 2021 LP Thicker Than Water , a soulful, confessional full-length that was an introspective examination of upbringing, experience, and identity. His sophomore full-length, U Street Anthology, is right around the corner, but in the meantime, he's shared the slow-groove "Wat...
Mar 22, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4452
Jackie Venson - "Flying #evolution" from the 2023 self-released album Evolution of Joy . When Jackie Venson named her latest LP Evolution of Joy , she meant it in more ways than one. Not only is this a re-working of her 2019 album Joy , but it's also reflective of the evolution she's seen in the music industry since the pandemic struck. “I released more music than I ever have before,” she told Austin Woman . “But that also led to more people discovering me that never had before. Then at the end ...
Mar 21, 2023•4 min•Ep. 4451
Taylar Elizza Beth & WD4D - "THE BEAST / DAY 117" from the 2023 self-released album UNDERCOVER LOVERGIRL . On her new album UNDERCOVER LOVERGIRL , Seattle-based rapper Taylar Elizza Beth [aka Taylar White] reunites with producer and DJ WD4D (Blue Scholars, Abyssinian Creole, Common Market). The pair previously worked together on last year's EP, NINETY THREE . “I want to have more say in what my sound sounds like — and so meeting up with WD4D and figuring out that we have a really great artis...
Mar 20, 2023•5 min•Ep. 4450
